THIS IS PITTSBURGH ACTION NEWS 4. IT'S A SECURITY RISK BROUGHT TO LIFE BY PITTSBURGH ACTION NEWS 4 BACK IN JANUARY. LOCAL VETERANS AT RISK, THIEVES ABLE TO STEAL INFORMATION FROM OUR NATION'S HEROS USING THEIR GOVERNMENT-ISSUED I.D. CARDS. SO WE PRESSED LEGISLATORS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. ACTION NEWS INVESTIGATOR JOINING US NOW. THESE VETERANS ARE REALLY GETTING RESULTS. THEY ARE, AND WE SHOWED YOU HOW EASY IT IS TO STEAL A VETERAN'S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER ALL THROUGH A PHONE APP. THE CARD IS MOSTLY USED FOR PRESCRIPTION PICKUPS AND STORE DISCOUNTS. WE SPOKE TO THE MAN WHO FIRST ALERTED US ABOUT THIS PROBLEM MONTHS AGO AND NOW RECEIVED HIS NEW SECURE CARD. I CALLED CHANNEL 4 AND TOLD YOU FOLKS ABOUT IT AND YOU FOLKS JUMPED ON IT. Reporter: HE HELPED PROTECT HIS COUNTRY AND EXPECTED THE SAME IN RETURN. THIS IS THE OLD ONE WITH THAT VERY DANGEROUS STRIP. HE WAS ALARMED AFTER HE LEARNED HIS GOVERNMENT-ISSUED VETERAN IDENTIFICATION CARD COULD BE A TRAP FOR IDENTITY THEFT. THAT WAS REALLY WHAT WORRIED ME. IF THE CARD GOES SWRRKS IT'S LIKE, OH, MY GOD. IN OUR SPECIAL REPORT, WE SHOWED YOU HOW EASY AND SCARY THIS REALLY IS. A BAR CODE SCANNER EASILY AVAILABLE TO ANYONE WITH A SMARTPHONE COULD BE USED TO SEE A VETERAN'S SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER. WE PUT IT TO THE TEST AND WITHIN SECONDS -- IS THIS YOUR SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER? YES, IT IS. VETERANS WE SPOKE TO SAID THEY AND OTHERS WERE NOT INFORMED BY THE VA. WE CONTACTED THE VA AND ALERTED LOCAL LEGISLATORS ABOUT THE SECURITY RISK. AS A MEMBER OF CONGRESS, YOU THINK THEY WOULD HAVE NOTIFIED US. NOW, MILLIONS OF VETERANS WILL RECEIVE MORE SECURE CARDS. HE JUST RECEIVED HIS. THIS IS A MAGNETIC STRIP THAT DOESN'T READ ANYTHING ON MY CELL PHONE. THIS VETERAN IS THANKFUL THE VA TOOK ACTION BUT SENDS A REMINDER TO THEM, TOO. THEY NEED TO FOCUS, EVEN ON WHAT THEY MIGHT CONSIDER SMALL STUFF LIKE THESE CARDS, THEY NEED TO FOCUS ON IT, BECAUSE WE'VE GOT MORE AND MORE PEOPLE COMING BACK EVERY DAY THAT ARE RELYING ON THE SYSTEM. THE VA SAYS THEY WILL REISSUE 4 MILLION CARDS WITHIN THE NEXT SEVERAL MONTHS. HE IS GRATEFUL HE CAN START USING HIS. I WANT TO SAY, THANK YOU TO YOU, AND TO CHANNEL 4 FOR EVERYTHING THAT YOU DID, FOR HELPING THE VETS, FOR GETTING THE WORD OUT, AND YOUNG LADY, THIS CRUSTY OLD VET SALUTES YOU. THE DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS SAYS THE NEW CARD IS CALLED THE VETERAN HEALTH IDENTIFICATION CARD AND THE COST TO REPLACE THE CARD, $4.7 MILLION. THIS AFTERNOON, THE VA CONFIRMED THAT ALMOST HALF OF ALL THE REPLACEMENT CARDS HAVE BEEN SHIPPED TO VETERANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.